Mass Effect: Wrath of the Dreadnova
by MaidenofAdelaide
Summary: With his galaxy in the iron grip of Galactic Emperor Azir, Dreadnova Gangplank and his crew embark on an exodus that lands them straight into Milky Way territory. Gangplank has a nasty habit of making more enemies than friends, and with a galaxy fresh for the taking, he won't be sharing with either. ( Rated M, y'know what that means )
1. Planetfall

**A/N: I won't be following much of Gangplank's canon story, or pretty much anyone else in league of legends. To be precise, I'm going to do a mish-mash of the Projekt skins Lore, some of the Dreadnova skin lore and a bit of my own. There might be some similarities, but that's about it. Inspired by OmeganQueen's Wrath of the Dreadnova, reposted with permission.**

 **And the usual disclaimer: I don't own Riot Games' Gangplank and related characters nor Bioware's legendary characters like Commander Shepard.**

 **Enjoy :)**

 **]I[**

"Um, sir? We've got heavy comm traffic incoming from a disclosed emergency channel, I think you'd better come take a look at this."

Admiral Steven Hackett approached the ensign, looking over the young man's shoulder to observe the spy comm bouy they installed close to the Terminus Systems. With that portion of the galaxy justly reputed to being the cesspool of the criminal underground, the Alliance felt it necessary to keep tabs on it. Instances like these proved the decision wise. Now, they have a better feel on the waters in case of an attack on Alliance territories.

"A lot of it's just white noise, but the message keeps repeating."

"… _We are under attack! Taking heavy casualties! All loyal members of the Hegemony respond!...Repeat…We are under attack!"_

"Sounds like the batarians bit off more than they can chew." Hackett commented, "As you were, ensign."

"We're not going to do something about it, sir?" Ensign Damon asked, feeling a bit stupid for doing so a second later.

"Oh yeah, we are. We're leaving them alone." The Admiral's reply may have been sarcastic in all tones, but was clear on its meaning. The batarians had never been in good terms with mankind, and intervening would raise a lot of questions. The Alliance will be accused of spying on them, which was true if taken into account, and tensions will rise. That wasn't something the Council nor the Alliance needed. Also, it was sort of Hackett's way of dishing out a little of his own frustration on the four-eyed bipeds. It was time they got a taste of their own medicine.

And he was right in thinking so, for as the Alliance turned a deaf ear to the batarian distress call, hundreds of the said batarians were getting slaughtered on the edge of the divide called the Skyllian Verge.

* * *

It began with a mistake on their part. A big one, at that.

Four hours ago, an enormous space rift opened up that scrambled communications and sent every ship systems haywire within a five lightyear radius. When batarian pirate ships moved in to investigate, they found a ship that looked derelict from the way it just floated about. Thinking this was a lucky find, the vultures dove in for their prize. It was a massive thing too, nobody could blame the batarians for jumping at the chance.

But then, the ship opened fire.

Red beams of pure plasma disintegrated whole frigates like a hot knife on butter, and the suddeness of the attack forced the batarians to fall back, but not before firing back and scraping the hull of the opposing dreadnought.

Then, they retreated back into the mass relay to regroup at Verenor II, which was the closest space port within the cluster.

A man sat on the command throne of the Kraken, knife on a golden citrus fruit and proceeding to peel the flesh, while gazing out at the debris field left from the skirmish he initiated. "Report."

"They haven't left a trail, Captain!" The helmsman replied, "Whatever those ships were, they seem to rely on one of those swirling ring constructs we've been seeing the past few weeks."

The captain arched a brow and stroked his chin, "Ah, so we're not flying through Shuriman space anymore, eh?"

"No, captain. Otherwise, we'd have those swells on our necks by now. What be yer orders now?"

"Well, find a way to access those ring constructs. Those bastards hurt me ship, and that's a slight I won't ever forgive! Understood?"

The helmsman nodded, "I hear ya, captain! Making a steady headway…"

"Good, they couldn't have gone far." He sat back on his throne and munched down on the orange.

The helmsman issued the shipwide warning for them enter an unknown FTL travel conduit, and approached the mass relay with which the batarians used for their escape. Of course, the visitors had no idea how the thing worked, so accessing it was entirely an accident.

The procedure was quick, and the Kraken found itself in the middle of the traversan highway of the Skyllian Verge. There, a small fleet made up of batarian and Blue Suns mercenary ships was stationed to protect Arnessa, a world rich in element zero that the Hegemony had laid claim to in their race to seize as many territories as possible before the Alliance got their hands on every planet left untouched.

Unfortunately for either side, the Dreadnova was an ambitious man, and he was just in the mood for conquering.

"Fresh for the taking!" He grinned, bellowing into the intercom for all the crew to hear. "Listen up! There's a whole new galaxy out here, and I'm about to carve out a piece of it for meself. Step lively now!"

Cheers erupted from all over the Kraken's interior, and the gunners manned their stations on the main and lesser guns in preparation for the following battle. This was where the distress calls came in, and where the Alliance ignored them.

Kinetic barriers were insufficient against the Scourge's cannons, breaking apart easily and bursting from the inside as the particle beams triggered their mass engines. The Captain laughed as their weapons returned fire, bouncing harmlessly against the Kraken's front shields. "Show them how a real gun fires." And the Kraken fired again.

Soon, there wasn't much left of the fleet as the Kraken hurtled past the debris field left behind.

"Captain, we're getting a lot of activity down there. I think they called in some reinforcements from the planet's surface." The man handling the longrange scanners reported. "Methinks we can take em."

He smiled, "Feed them the Long Nines."

The Dreadnova left its skull signature on the planet's surface before introducing its full wrath on the approaching frigates, leaving nothing but a gaping wound in the planet's face.

"All ashore that's going ashore." Captain Gangplank said as he rose from his throne. At his command, the crew readied the transporters for the mop-up team to get planetside. The klaxons blare throughout his ship, prompting the crew to pick up the pace. Metal heels clack loudly on the platform as his lieutenant walks in step with him. Kai'sa, recently thawed from stasis, wasted no time getting back to work and assisting her superior with the many tasks ahead.

"Bullet-Angel reporting for duty, sir." The woman saluted.

"Where the hell's the rest of you?" Gangplank inquired, checking his sidearm out and holstering it.

"In the chop-shop." Kai'sa referred to the infirmary with the popular pet name, "Our marksman's still under ice. Doctor's trying her best to pull her out of stasis without damaging her core. Infiltrator's not looking good."

"I'll know all the details in due time." The captain nodded, "Come on, gotta see if this world's worth the effort."

* * *

Gangplank surveyed the chaos and destruction before him and smiled. Amidst the smoking ruins and charred remains of batarian soldiers, he could see the perfect spot for setting up a base of operations.

"Yes, this will do quite nicely." He chuckled, poking at the strange four-eyed corpse that lay before him with his sword. The plasma serrated blade ignited the corpse on contact and burned off the skin up to the bone within seconds.

The planet Arnessa was his property now and he would use it as he saw fit. Already the technicians had analyzed the batarian base's shipment of eezo and discovered the potential applicants of such a powerful element. Of course, deciphering and implenting the specimens onto their development programs would take time, and more importantly a proper staging ground for them to continue their operations. That was partly the reason why Gangplank ordered in the mechanized servitors to begin construction out of the materials on site and salvage or repurpose the parts of the batarian base that survived the Long Nines' barrage.

Working quickly had been one of the core values of the crew of the Dreadnova, since they were always on the run when back in Shuriman space.

Not too long before entering this strange new galaxy, a desperate assault was initiated by the leader of the feared Dreadnova Corps. on Runeterra, which was the capital world of the New Shuriman Empire. It was his way of thrusting a middle finger in the face of the Emperor, to make a point that not even the immortal Ascended was invincible.

While the Emperor waged his war against the combined might of the twin empires Noxus and Demacia far away, the Dreadnova and his pirate horde bore down hard on the Shuriman capital.

The cost didn't matter to Gangplank, who was willing to sacrifice every man under his command as well as his beloved ship in finishing the mission.

They did, sort of.

The planet cracked in half, with more than 43 trillion Shuriman citizens lying dead on its shattered surface. The Kraken, the only ship left standing by the end of the day, vanished from Imperial space the same moment the reports reached the Emperor. Gangplank wasn't one to stick around to hear the angry rants of someone he had just slighted. Smiling in triumph, he activated the experimental Hexmaturgic Hypercapacitor Jumpdrive, expecting to reappear safely back into the oceanic world of Bilgewater.

Instead, it got him here.

He lost his whole fleet, and probably will lose his homeworld as repercussion for destroying the capital world. And in truth, he couldn't care less.

Hell, he could become king again here! He could just say goodbye to Azir, Shurima and the whole mess of a galaxy from which he came! And if there was the slightest chance that Azir would follow him through, Gangplank would be having an even bigger fleet waiting for him.

But first thing's first. He'd have to carve his name into the bones of this new galaxy, starting with Arnessa.

"This is the Captain to the bridge, what do you see up there?" He radioed in.

" _I'm seeing dots of settlements all over that world, cap'n."_ The helmsman replied, _"Long-range scanners don't detect any incoming vessels. I'd say we're safe to raid for a few hours or so. I'll let ya know when that changes."_

"Roger that, Gangplank out."

The Dreadnova boarded the shuttle with the Bullet-Angel, heading east, leaving the task-force to oversee the miners and the technicians as they went about their routine. The base had been set up quickly thanks to the mech servitors, and the analysts got set up comfortably while the gunsmiths built up the base's defenses.

Gangplank leaned out from the open door, peering across the many mountains that covered the landscape to see the settlements the helmsman was talking about. There were hundreds of workers lined up to enter the mines, and seeing how they were being goaded with what looked like taser-staves.

Gangplank may be in his thirties, but his eyesight was still good. He knew what he saw down there. Those were slaves.

The Dreadnova was no stranger to this, though he detested it in secret. Bilgewater, heart of the Badlands criminal underground, flowed with slaves such as these, practically dependent on them so much that the empire would crumble should they be denied of them. Slaves make an empire strong for a time, but errodes its foundations. Gangplank was a ruthless general, but had a code where all others least expected.

"Captain, what are your orders?" Kai'sa asked.

"Give them hell." At Gangplank's command, she dropped from the open shuttle door, brandishing twin rotary cannons that promised a painful end to the slavers. Looking up in horror at the shrill noise of the Bullet-Angel's engines, the batarians had but a moment to witness the glory of Dreadnova hexmaturgy, technology that far surpasses what they owned. Ionized bolts filled the air, forcing the batarians to take cover as the slaves panicked all around them and scattered in different directions.

Then, a chain of explosive metal barrels suddenly dropped from the sky, lining up in a neat little row close to the cowering slavers before detonating from a well placed shot from Gangplank's prized handcannon.

Clumps of flesh and blood burst out from behind the crates as the barrels did a gruesome job, just the way Gangplank likes it.

The wetworkers disembarked from the transporters, gaining ground until they backed the slavers into a corner. After an hour of fighting, the batarians promptly gave up and surrendered. They threw aside their weapons and lined up before the augments with their hands raised in defeat. Gangplank's shuttle hovered down to land, and the Dreadnova made landfall on Arnessa.

All eyes turned to the captain, both slave and free. The leader began to speak, "A truce is in order, human?"

And Gangplank's steel-grey orbs held nothing but disdain for the slavers, "A truce? I'll stop shooting when you die!" The gun sneezed a bolt of red plasma, killing a batarian lieutenant when he opened his mouth to plead for mercy. The next instant, Gangplank's sword swishes through the air, effectively disemboweling another and setting the next on fire from the plasma coating the blade. Kai'sa did not take part in the executions, but simply watched as her commander slaughtered the slavers in cold blood.

He had his good moments, and he had his bad moments. This was an unholy joining of both.

The slaves whimpered and looked away as blood spilled and body parts were dismembered. Gangplank reveled in the smell of burning flesh and the wide-eyed screams of the the dying aliens.

He hacked, he slashed. He shot, he stomped.

His killing spree ended with a brutal evisceration from shoulder to groin of the last batarian standing. Gangplank's chest heaved with exertion, and he wiped the sweat off his brow as he paused to admire his work. The way the blood smeared across the courtyard floor, with the limbs and bodies positioned, a twisted mind would've called such an atrocity a work of art.

He turns towards his crew. "Move out! Get these slaves to work, on the double!"

Hope gives way to despair as the slaves realized they weren't being saved that day, they were just under new management.

 **]I[**


	2. Skyllian Blitz

**Second chapter in, keeping with the hype :)**

 **]I[**

"Rains have come early this year." Narud said as he breathed in the noxious fumes of his cigarette. It was a downpour accompanied by a thick mist that wafted in from the jungle rivers below, making everything within a three foot distance obscured from view.

The skies above Edvos had a predictable cycle of heavy rains, but this one was unexpected, same as many things as of late.

" _From your reports, I'd say that's not the only thing that's come early."_ The silhouetted form of the Shadow Broker commented. Narud's office had been swept off of bugs and other surveillance devices beforehand, just as instructed.

Within the coalition of pirates in the Skyllian Verge, Narud had been the most reliable of informants working with the Shadow Broker, dealing information that had changed hands to manipulate events in favor of his employer's plans.

"I didn't expect the Alliance to launch an attack on the mines of Arnessa." He calmly answered, moving away from the window and commanding the blinds to close. "Even if I didn't, I would've heard some rumor from a pair of loose lips and have come straight to you."

" _And yet, you don't believe it to be the Alliance, correct?"_

"No sir." The batarian confessed, and tapped the little stick on the ashtray, "Humans kowtow to the Council too much that they've lost all the nerve since the day the turians invaded Shanxi. They'd have their eyes on the Skyllian Verge, but that's just about all they do. Sit and watch."

" _In your opinion."_ The Shadow Broker pointed out.

"Yes sir, but an accurate one." Narud nodded, "They don't have the kind of technology these guys have, much less the firepower. Just looking at the estimated size of that ship makes me consider all those rules the Council put up to tone down militarized cruisers as a fool's idea."

" _Need I remind you who you're working for?"_

"I'm just saying, sir." Narud apologized, shrugging non-chalantly. "We don't give a shit what the Council says, and apparently, neither do these guys."

Suddenly, a loud klaxon in the courtyard below interrupted their meeting. Edvos was under attack, and the pirates scrambled to get their fighters ready for the upcoming battle. With that strange ship at large, every defense system one every world under their control had been recalibrated to operate with maximum efficiency. And it paid off pretty well.

They had a 30 minute headstart for preparation.

" _Find out what their angle is and report to me whatever you learn. That will be all, Narud."_ The Shadow Broker severed contact.

He may be a man with few words, but Narud understood what the plan was all about. The Shadow Broker saw a chance to make a new ally, and wasn't one to just sit around and let others make the offer first. It gave the batarian informant a sense of pride that the greatest information dealer relied on him so much, and that thrust aside all fears of his current mission.

He'd be the middle man to bridge the two shady organizations.

That is, if the other side was willing to negotiate. From what Narud heard on Arnessa before all contact was lost, the batarian in charge was split in two when he tried to make a bargain with the marauding faction's leader.

Narud donned his armor, quickly strapping in and leaving the office for the bunkers. If the first thing that dreadnought did on Arnessa was bombard it from orbit, then what was to stop them from doing the same following their arrival on Edvos?

And sure enough. Where everyone else was occupied with priming up the AA guns or launching aircraft, Narud was already safe inside the bunkers. And a good thing too! For the next hour was filled with a non-stop barrage of heavy air-to-ground artillery.

"They're not fucking around, I'll give them that much." Narud said with a wince as a shell hits square on top of the shelter. The batarian could only imagine how his kind fared outside.

Problem was, he couldn't care less about what happened to them. He was just sticking around for one reason anyway.

When the barrage settles and all was quiet, Narud gingerly climbs the stairs leading to the exit and pushes against the heavy steel door…or rather, what was left of it.

The scene outside was nothing short of catastrophic.

Smoke drifted off into the air where the fires died out from the rains, the collected water washing away the blood and entrails from those unfortunate enough to stand in the way of the shells. It looked more like a force of nature stuck the base than the work of a battleship!

Narud gulped when he noticed a shuttle zone in from the skies, assuming that his hour of quick-thinking was approaching. Someone called him silver-tongued once, a metaphor that described one of his traits pretty accurately. He wiggled his way into the world of corporate espionage and others similar to the business, he can work his way in this.

The shuttle touched down in the middle of the ruined courtyard, and Narud walked towards it, hoping he won't get shot the moment those doors open. Just in case he wouldn't make it, the batarian activated the tranceiver on his Omni-tool so his conversation would be recovered and would be of use to the Shadowbroker.

From what he'd observed during the past week, nothing could've prepared him for what he saw next. He'd expected to see a heavily armed squad of turians or krogans to march out of the shuttle, with the kind of firepower they had on hand it wasn't wrong to think so.

Instead he got a human with a well trimmed beard, dressed in an admiral's garb. And at his side were two of the queerest looking women soldiers armed with a collection of the finest weapons he'd ever seen.

Humans and asari, what is with them and fashion?

"So, we've got ourselves a survivor!" The admiral exclaimed, pointing his huge pistol square at Narud's face. "You're an ugly one, I know just the thing to make you look better."

"Wait wait wait!" Narud frantically waved his hands up, "Under the protection of the Pirate Code, I invoke the right of Parley!"

"You're looking at it." The man sneered. "Choose your last words carefully now, four-eyes."

Narud would've slapped himself in the face if he heard himself right. Pirate Code? There exists no such thing! But he went with it anyway.

"Look, alright I get it. You're not Alliance, and you don't like anyone standing on what's apparently your property now. But you don't have to go through all the trouble wiping us out just to make a point."

"Oh really?" The man lowers the gun but still maintains it pointed at him, "That's a long line on your gravestone, boy."

"Just hear me out first, and you can do what you gotta do with that gun." Narud offered. "Your activities during the past week has caught the interest of my employer, the Shadow Broker. I'm sure you know all about him."

"Should I?"

"It's alright if you don't, my point is- I know your type. You're not just a ruthless world-raider, you're a businessman. Think of me as the middle man for an equally benefitial deal between you and the Shadow Broker." Narud said quickly, "Do I still have your attention?"

"Yeah, you've got balls trying to talk me out of shooting you so I'll tell you this much. If the Shadow Broker wants to make a deal with Captain Gangplank, he'd better come over in person and do it himself." The last thing Narud sees is the gun whipping up suddenly and a flash of red crossing his eyes before everything went black.

"Was that necessary this time, captain?" Kai'sa sighed as the corpse shuddered and fell back with a thud.

"Oh absolutely." Gangplank said with a smile, "People will say anything when their lives are at stake. And that…creature had the gall to assume he knew who I was! Pirate Code, what nonsense!"

"Besides." He added, "I meant what I said. If this 'shadowbroker' wants to deal with me, he'd better do it face to face. I don't respect spineless cowards." Gangplank looked down at Narud's lifeless form, "In his case, I'd make an exception. He's worthy enough to spit on."

Millions of lightyears away, as Gangplank pursed his lips to launch a glob of saliva at the fallen batarian, the Shadow Broker watched with interest through the eyes of the special tranciever Narud activated prior to his demise.

The man's capacity for violence was…intriguing. At last the Shadow Broker saw the angle he was looking for, "He'd make a good partner when the time comes."

Dead men tell better tales than the living. At least Narud made himself useful in his final moments.

* * *

"There will be more of them." Kai'sa declared, passing Vayne as she walked in. "We've hit Azir where it hurts the most, he's not going to give up no matter how many fleets he loses in the campaign." The Bullet-Angel gave voice to her concerns regarding the vengeful emperor sitting a galaxy away from where they were now.

" _He_ hit me where it hurt the most." Gangplank reminded her, opening ang closing his mechanical hand. "It's only fair. Let him send his ships, we'll just kill more of them and build a space hulk out of the wrecks."

"Speaking of which." Vayne leaned over the desk, "What shall we do with those ships that came out of the Relay?"

"The what?"

"The Relay, those massive ringed constructs housing that swirling ball of blue that is responsible for interstellar travel in this galaxy?

"I didn't find the time to read the data you sent me." Gangplank shrugged. "Anyway, what about them?"

"I don't think we're dealing with mere slavers here now, captain." Kai'sa informed. "It seems that the local authorities have taken notice."

"Do I look like I care?" Gangplank sneered. "The poor excuses for humans in this galaxy are worms crawling in shit-pits, they're barely worth any notice!"

"Not everyone's the Empire, captain. I want you to remember that." Leona pointed out. "Sometimes it's best to make friends in new grounds than enemies. I know it's easier to make the latter over the former, but I ask that you try…sir."

For someone who suffered unimaginable abuse under the hands of the Empire's research division, it was truly something to hear that coming from Kai'sa. And Gangplank knew when to listen to her advice, having that little bit of wisdom in him.

Besides, she earned his trust long ago.

"What would you have me do?"

"Talk to them, captain." Kai'sa suggested, "In the same way you forged the Corps."

"That was fear that drove them to fly under my colors." Gangplank reminded her, "There wasn't much talking involved, I'll have you know."

"I'll think about it." Gangplank said finally, closing the discussion.

That seemed to satisfy the lieutenant, and so the two took their leave.

Once he was left alone, the Dreadnova tapped his fingers on the table, deep in thought over the woman's words. His eyes flicked towards the painting of a certain redhaired woman that hung on a special spot above the fireplace. Gangplank felt that familiar ache in his heart just looking at her, trying his best to supress the painful memories so he could think clearly.

"Well…" He shrugged, "If things go sour, I'll be the one shooting first."

" _Captain?"_ The intercom buzzed, _"Navigation's got something for ya, I think it's them four-eyes raising hell on our borders."_

Gangplank decided the time he got to meet with these 'local authorities' will have to wait. The planet under siege was not part of his territory, but he hated the idea of anyone else calling dibs on the booty. Putting a finger on the intercom, he shouted for the helmsman. "Set course for the Relay! We're about to show those bitchy little girls what true marauding's about!"

" _Uh…sorry, the what, cap'n?"_

Rolling his eyes, he bellowed. "The Ringed Construct, you idiot! Now hurry up, I wanna see what's on the other side of this system."

" _Oh! Right away, sir!"_

Gangplank watched as the stars moved with the acceleration until they were but streaks in black and blue, then got off his chair to take a ride down to the Hydroponics Bay. He was out of oranges again.

Meanwhile, the Arcturus Fleet just received word of the same attack while they were on course towards the Arnessa system. Lucky for them, Gangplank's long range sensors haven't been triggered, or else the Dreadnova would've turned his wrath on them on his way out.

"Admiral! Elysium is under attack and requesting assistance!"

"Replot course for Elysium and tell them help is on its way." Hackett ordered quickly, sending everyone swiping at their monitors in rapid succession. Tensions have definitely risen, and Elysium wouldn't be the first to suffer from reprisal. Steven put his hands on the metal railing and cast his gaze over the galaxy map.

It was just a short trip from Sidon, a nearby terrestrial planet of wide cold deserts. Hackett could only hope that the attack wasn't too harsh on the populace, else there wouldn't be a colony left to save.

Back on the Kraken, Gangplank's lips twisted into a snarl, seeing hundreds of ships in orbit of his prize. "Agh, they've started already!"

Their arrival has gone unnoticed as the batarian pirates laid siege to the garden world below. They had the element of surprise, and Gangplank wasn't one to sit back- he'd charge straight into the frey.

"Hoist the colors!" He yelled, "And let fly all guns!"

The Kraken obeys, raising its massive cannons at the batarian ships and letting loose those bright red beams of plasma charges. With their flanks exposed, it was easy pickings. Before the joined armada of slavers, pirates and cartels realized what was happening, more than half of their ships were reduced to burning scrap.

Some of them managed to turn around and fight back, but were destroyed just as easily. Gangplank demanded that the gunners keep firing, "Keep at it until you see the glow of the barrels!"

"Captain, some of them got through to the planet's surface. Shall we pursue?"

Gangplank picked up his sword and checked his pistol to see if it's fully charged, "No, I'll handle it. Just keep the rest off my back while I do a little parleying on the surface."

"Got it, cap'n. Good luck down there."

He motioned for Kai'sa and Vayne to follow him down. "If I call when things get out hand, prepare to send in the Tank. Got me?"

"Will do, cap'n." Looks were exchanged at the mention of 'The Tank', the beast slumbering within the bowels of Gangplank's ship, waiting to be redeployed and set to purpose. If all else fails, the Mecha-Designation Zero was the last resort, and everyone onboard the Kraken hoped that time will never come.

On Elysium's surface, the pirates have found their way into the cities and begun their killing spree. Alliance soldiers taking their leave on the paradise world had taken arms and formed a resistance force to repel the invading horde. The colonists were safe, for now.

Elanos Haliat, a prominent figure in the Terminus Systems and instigator of the invasion, planned to change all that. With three squads of Blood Pack mercenaries and a handful of his best men, he broke through the defense line and moved to turn the battle into a massacre.

"I want it all! Kill every last one of them, soldier or civvie- I don't care!"

He hadn't counted on the lone Alliance soldier bunkered down in a narrow pass of fallen debris, which was a difficult chokepoint that succeeded in whittling down his forces to a trickle.

To add to his growing anger of the situation, news reached him of the sudden attack on the armada from above. Hearing that half of their forces had been wiped out caused a vein to pop at his temple. In the rush of things, he recklessly ordered the Blood Pack mercenaries to charge the pass and storm the one soldier keeping them there.

Lieutenant Commander Jane Shepard was running low on ammunition, and she knew that her rifle wasn't that far from overheating. Picking her targets carefully, she fired the last rounds and switched to her sidearms, bracing herself for the powerful kickback of the dual Carnifex pistols.

At the moment, she didn't care if she'd die on Elysium, knowing that reinforcements were too far away to save her. Her priority was the safety of the colonists, and if she could buy them time it would be worth her life to trade. Soon the barrier would be breached, and her fellow soldiers would've successfully whisked the women and children away from the marauders' reach.

Much to her surprise, reinforcements came in early.

A small ship that was easily the size of a shuttle zipped through the smoke-filled Elysium sky, dropping what looked like red bulky metal barrels on top of the enemy. A man leaned out and took aim, detonating the volatile canisters with a single shot from his pistol.

Gangplank laughed as the panic-stricken batarians fled in separate ways, jumping behind blocks of rubble to escape his wrath. "Scurry off, ya bilgerats! This here's my property, and I'm not sharing!"

He jumped off as the shuttle hovered a good ten feet above solid ground, drawing his sword and starting a slash-marathon with the hulking lizardmen. Krogans were tough, but were unprepared for a plasma-coated cutlass that ignored armor and shields whenever it cut.

Vayne followed suit, diving in with her crossbow extended and joining her captain in the fight. The krogans switched tactics, pommeling headfirst into the advancing Dreadnova corpsmen like a herd of maddened bulls. Gangplank hacked his way towards Elanos, who was at the top of the hill of bodies that made up the mound next to the narrow corridor where the Lt. Commander made her stand.

"Come!" He yelled, waving his sword about. "Test yourself in the fire!"

Elanos hopped down and let loose a burst from his SMG, which Gangplank easily deflected with his mechanical arm as he raised it to protect his face. The marauder called down a barrel and followed up with a squeeze from the Parleymaker, knocking back the pirate leader from the resulting explosion.

Dazed, Haliat propped himself up with his elbows and stared up at the Dreadnova, shame and disappointment evident on his scarred features. His plans to become the undisputed ruler of the pirate factions in the Terminus Systems have been thwarted…by a stubborn Alliance soldier and an interloping raider with a big-ass warship.

"Any last words before I send you on your way?" Gangplank asked, that everpresent sneer on his lips as he draws his weapon.

Elanos had a few obscenities ready on the tip of his tongue.

"Never mind." Gangplank interrupted, pulling the trigger and blasting a hole through his mouth and out the back of his head.

Kai'sa finishes off the last of the Blood Pack mercenaries with a burst from her autocannons, looking up just as the debris from the space battle falls through Elysium's skies. "That's all for the moment, Captain."

Gangplank wasn't answering, Kai'sa and Vayne followed his gaze to the Alliance soldier atop the hill. It almost seemed like he was hypnotized by the sight. Only the Bullet-Angel, who knew Gangplank better than anyone else, realized what that look on his face was about.

The soldier, upon removing her helmet, looked exactly like Admiral Fortune- a woman from Gangplank's past and the reason for his motivations...and his pain. The twin guns in her hands did not help to dissuade the nostalgia.

"Hi." She said as she approached them, wiping the sweat off her face. "I'm Lt. Commander Shepard of the Alliance Navy. Thanks for the assist."

Usually at the start of such a conversation, the captain would always haughtily declare his interests- which was a fancy way of saying he would annex the planet. But in this case, he was hopelessly tongue-tied and Kai'sa was forced to step in to save him the embarassment.

He can thank her later, "I am Lieutenant Kai'sa, I speak for Captain Gangplank. We regret not coming sooner, we could've spared your world the ruin."

"Lieutenant Commander!" One of the marines called, "It's Admiral Hackett, he's on the line! One massive ship is still in orbit, they're asking for confirmation whether it's friend or foe."

" _Cap'n! Some ships just joined in the fight, a whole lot of 'em!"_ The bosun alerted, _"Shall we engage?"_

"Belay that!" Gangplank broke from his trance, "This day's requiring more talking than fighting. I'll take it from here."

" _As you order cap'n. Standing down."_

"Again, thanks for the help." Shepard repeated.

Gangplank just stared at her without a reply and walked back inside the shuttle, eager to get back to the safety of his beloved Kraken.

 **]I[**


	3. Butcher of Torfan

**]I[**

Gangplank crushed the citrus fruit in his mechanical hand and cursed himself for the lack of focus down on Elysium. He hadn't counted on getting a blast from the past that strong. Why the hell did he just freeze in the middle of a battle? In truth, he knew the answer, but refused to own it. Looking up at the painting that hung over the fireplace, Gangplank was sorely tempted to tear it down and thrust it into the flames. But then what good would that do?

It was more than a reminder of a past life, it was a part of him.

Half of him wanted to forget, to drown all those sorrows in the bottom of a bottle or the middle of a battle. Half of him wanted to remember, to cling to the fading images of her warm smile and tender touch.

Those halves were tearing him apart. "Damn you, Sarah."

A knock on the door forces him to put the ruined orange away and sit back properly, expecting to see his lieutenant walking in at any moment.

"Captain, they're ready for you."

Gangplank's scowl deepened. He had the chance to firmly state his dominion over his conquered territories the way the Dreadnova Corps. always does, now he'd have to deal with Alliance diplomacy.

He hated that, revisiting the early days he was still under Imperial control.

Sitting on his throne and trying his best to look bored, Gangplank heaved a sigh and prepared to face the Alliance admirals.

" _Dreadnova Gangplank."_

"That's _Captain_ Gangplank to you!" He growled out the correction harshly, earning himself a surprised look from Admiral Hackett. "Now, understand that it's been a long day for me and my crew, and I've got better things to do than sit and chat all day. Make it fast before what's left of my patience goes off!"

" _Then I'll get right to the point."_ The older gentleman puts both hands behind his back, _"Do you see the destruction on Elysium? Take a good look, because all of that stems from your actions in the Verge."_

" _Whatever your agenda is trying to seize up territory in the Skyllian Verge, you've caused tensions between an already shaky relationship between humans and batarians to rise significantly in the short course of a month."_ Hackett continued sternly, _"Now I've been tasked, along with the other admirals present in this meeting, to bring you down before this whole thing escalates into an intergalactic war."_

"Meh-hah!" Gangplank guffawed, "You're most certainly welcome to try!" The Dreadnova was about to give the order for the Kraken to open fire when a quiet pleading look from Kai'sa causes him to hesitate.

" _If you cooperate, I can only promise the blow will be softened."_

After a short moment of silence, he speaks again. He did not, however, allow himself to be swayed to adhere to the whims of the Alliance. "This is my territory now, Admiral Hackett. Understand? _Mine._ And I will run things here as I see fit. Send you fleets as much as you'd like. I'll leave the debris fields to illustrate my point incase you remain stubborn." Gangplank finishes viciously while standing from his throne. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm about to make myself clear to them slavin' sons of bitches on who gets to be the top dog in the Verge. Don't dare follow me unless you're bringing a bigger armada than this-

The bosun drops his gaze suddenly as an alarm klaxon blares on Deck 11, "Captain! The Tank's on the loose!"

"What?!" Gangplank yells in alarm, "Red alert! Seal off the deck, quickly!"

"Closing blastdoors!"

Gangplank turned back to the admiral and pointed a threatening finger saying, "This isn't over." And he severed the connection.

* * *

The battle of Elysium was a failure, and Warlord Danrev knew it was doomed to be so. Elanos' ambitions blinded him to the fact that the garden world was too closely protected by the Alliance, a flaw that earned him that defeat and brought their numbers tighter.

Torfan would be a good place to regroup, Danrev did not deny the need to strike back after all that's happened in the Verge. He'll just have to play the long game and play smart if he were ever to get what he wanted and still live long enough to see it.

"Sir, we've got incoming from the relay."

Danrev rose from his seat and approached the man, "Whatever it is, it's roughly the size of a shuttle."

"One of ours?"

"No sir, but it's headed straight for us and it's heading in fast!"

A ball of fire broke through Torfan's atmosphere, gaining momentum as it neared the ground. Thick metal beams broke off from the unknown object, what could be made out as a humanoid giant twisted itself in mid-air and made its landing on the moon. The earth cracked on impact, and the giant's voice could be heard all over the pirate base as he bellowed.

Pirates and gangers hefted their rifles and started shooting, easily hitting their mark but hardly making a dent as the juggernaut lumbered over in the general direction of the base entrance.

The juggernaut laughs, voice reverberating like grating steel on stone. _**"You can't even scratch me!"**_

Danrev gave the command, "Send in the tanks, deal with the intruder!"

"What the hell is that thing?!" His lieutenant growled, grabbing an extra shield emitter before heading out with the rest of the defense force. The batarians soon found themselves way in over their heads facing off with the killing machine, hunkering down as pieces of their combat vehicles were flung in their direction.

" _ **Come, fight!"**_

A krogan mercenary made the mistake of rising to the challenge, finding himself staring up at the massive hammer the juggernaut wielded and soon was reduced to a bloody pulp.

" _ **You die too quickly!"**_

A tank rolled in and attempted to ram the giant, and Mecha Zero hardly struggled when he flipped the entire thing over its treads. He swung his hammer and smashed the tank with one hit, crushing the pilot as he walked over and moved to his next opponent.

Sion roared, flinging a batarian off his feet and sending him crashing against a nearby guardtower, tearing it down on impact. The giant continues his mad rampage, slaughtering the batarians with little effort on his part.

No matter how many he sends in, Danrev realized he might as well sent them to a meat grinder and have a better chance of surviving than facing this strange mech. He orders everyone to take refuge inside their bunkers, relying only on the defense turrets and drones to keep it out.

 _If_ they can keep it out.

Sion halted in his tracks as the massive reinforced quadra-layered steel blastdoors closed over the entrance to the bunkers, his mechanical eye twitched with bewilderment. _**"Do they really think that will hold- against me?!"**_ Then, he starts hammering.

The quakes he caused with his attacks could be felt even down to the lowest levels of the bunker, and the guards posted at the door frantically requested that their combat mech backups be tripled. LOKI models just woudn't do any good except more cannonfodder for the big guy. YMIR mechs might slow him down, but that's about all they're doing…slowing him down.

"Boss, what are we gonna do?"

The warlord answered, "Have our allies alerted to this little disturbance. I've got a feeling this is just the start of something big, and we'd be doing our friends a favor giving them the heads up."

"Yes sir, on it." The comms operator acknowledged.

Danrev reached for a bottle of iced brandy and poured himself a glass, opting to relax for a bit instead of worrying himself to death over a crazed mech knocking at his door.

* * *

Gangplank pinched the bridge of his nose at the sight of the gaping hole in the Kraken's port hull, "How the hell did this happen?"

"Sorry sir. We detected a power surge in Deck 11 halfway through the battle on Elysium, didn't realize it had something to do with the Mecha."

"Can't be helped now." Gangplank muttered, "Can we pinpoint his location?"

"Yes sir, already done."

Gangplank leaned back, "Good. Set course in his general direction. I don't want to miss out on whatever he's rampaging through."

"Eh, what about them Alliance ships?"

"More pressing matters, bosun!" The Dreadnova growled, walking away from the breached deck. "Get us underway!"

Admiral Hackett watched as the massive red ship breaks away from orbit and moves towards the Relay. He could see a few weak spots in the ship's structure that the Dauntless could exploit, but put aside all thoughts of a preemptive strike. Hackett wasn't one to stab people in the back, and if this Captain Gangplank was telling the truth, the only harm he's ever done is directed towards the slavers plaguing the Verge.

The Alliance, of course, had been conducting rescue missions of their own for years, liberating slaves like the ones on the Dreadnova's ship. If he were to report back to Parliament, Hackett would just label Gangplank as a wildcard, worthy enough of the Alliance's attention but not one they'd waste resources on tearing apart a whole sector in a petty squabble.

Besides, he hasn't attacked any of their outposts…yet. No need to give him that idea.

"Should we follow, sir?"

Hackett shook his head, "The civilians on Elysium need our help getting their feet back up. I'm sure that wherever the Dreadnova's headed, it's just to do us a favor cleaning up the Verge."

The Kraken disappears in a flash of blue as the Mass Relay wraps it up in element zero and proppels it a thousand times faster than the speed of light straight into enemy territory.

"We're approaching the end of that trail, cap'n. I think the Tank's stopped in this here planet." The helmsman reported.

"That's no planet, ya daft git. That there's a moon!" Gangplank corrected, "And judging from the pieces of what I can assume are what's left of the ships of those pirate gangs, I'd say we've got another battle on our hands. Patch me in to the Tank's communication frequency."

"Will he listen?" The bosun asked while the comms officer followed his commands.

"He'd better." Gangplank answered,"Whole worlds break under the full power of the Death's Daughter, not even the feared Mecha Zero Sion can survive a hit like that. Oh yes..he will listen alright."

Meanwhile on the surface of Torfan, as was his custom, Mecha Zero Sion began assimilating combat data from his slain enemies. It was through this function the Tank could adapt to stronger foes, change the tide of battle at the last second, and ultimately keep him in place as the model of Shuriman Hextech superiority.

His torso opened up to reveal his massive hexcore, and a stream of blue energy wafted out and drew the selected remains of surrounding destroyed YMIR combat mechs to him, adding armor to his already thick metal hide.

" _ **With every conflict…I grow STRONGER!"**_

The Tank stops as an indicator beeps at the back of his head, _"And I trust I'd be able to count on that strength when Azir comes knocking on our door?"_

" _ **You."**_

On the Kraken, Gangplank sat back with a smug smile on his face. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

Sion looked up at the ship just barely touching the horizon, _**"You left me deactivated the whole time you were gallavanting across this new galaxy! If there's something I hate more, it's leaving me out of the action. So, no…I'm not happy to see you."**_

" _A necessary precaution, considering the fact that you nearly tore my ship in half the last time we faced off against Shurima together. Oh, and you did it again trying to get out of Deck 11. But I'm a man with a short fuse, so I'll just say this once."_

Gangplank leaned forward, "Get your metallic ass back inside the Kraken or I'll break this here planet with the Death's Daughter and you along with it. And we both know not even you can withstand an assault like that."

" _ **You want my loyalty back? Come down here and prove yourself!"**_ Sion roared back, lifting his massive warhammer and bringing it down on an unfortunate batarian infiltrator who thought sneaking up on the war machine was a good idea.

The connection was severed, leaving static in the comm channel. Gangplank rolled his eyes and munched down on a blood orange. "So be it."

"Do you need support, captain?" Leona inquired.

"No, just keep the interlopers away." Gangplank answered, rubbing the spot where the seam connected flesh and metal on his prosthetic arm. "I'm going to show the Tank who gives the orders around here."

"Transporter's ready, sir." A crewman reported as the Dreadnova walked the long halls down to the armory.

"Good, send me down." Gangplank smirked, arming himself with a few extra trinkets for the upcoming fight.

* * *

" _ **Pray for a quick death!"**_ Sion snarled, readying himself for the rogue admiral as the flash of blue light from the Kraken touched the cracked earth. Gangplank materialized in a flash, and drew his flaming sword.

"Remember who you're talking to, I rode the pain train and survived!" Gangplank retorted.

Sion suddenly flipped onto his back and reverted into his train form, catching the Dreadnova by surprise and dragging him across the battlefield! Gangplank hung tight to the glacis plate that served as a ramrod across the giant's face, hoisting himself atop the train and rolled out to safety.

Sion slammed hard against a concrete wall, making a sizeable mark where he hit and scraping off the orange paint of his skin. The Mecha picked up a broken off block from the wall and tossed it after the captain.

Gangplank dodged the boulder and lunged at the giant, stabbing at the exposed servos with his plasma-serrated cutlass at the same time making good use of the Parleymaker. He then broke off and kept his distance, letting the Tank make a push.

For someone his age and with little enhancements to call his own, Gangplank was fast and Sion knew it. Not even his roars could slow or knock him back, for he would always have a blood orange on hand, and those little things kept him going.

Those citrus fruits were genetically engineered to give a burst of health regeneration that was borderline impossible, and it proved to be quite annoying for the Mecha.

" _ **Hold still d-d-damn you!"**_ Sion's voice glitched as he struck the earth, breaking the hard concrete ground with his massive hammer and missed his target. But that was all the Scourge of the Shuriman Empire needed to get his opponent in place.

Gangplank's personal shuttle swooped down from on high, dropping three explosive barrels that formed a ring around the giant before taking back to the skies. Then, the Dreadnova spun around dramatically and let off a shot from his pistol.

The giant disappeared in a cloud of red and black smoke, only to re-emerge with that blue pulsation running through his robotic veins. _**"Rerouting auxillary power!"**_

Gangplank was unfazed by the Mecha as he staggered towards him, sparks flying from his damaged parts and cracks borne from the fight. He finished off the blood orange in his hand and thrusted his sword through Sion's exposed core before he could reach him.

" _ **Augh!"**_ The Mecha groaned, convulsing violently before falling to pieces. _**"Right in the caboose!"**_

The shuttle hovered down to pick up its charge, and Gangplank sheathed his sword and pistol before dragging the Mecha's remains with him inside. He stopped to gaze back at the ruins of the batarian base, noticing the heavily battered doors of the bunker- which Sion had spent the last five hours beating against.

" _Good fight down there, cap'n."_ The helmsman's voice crackled.

"The Tank sure riled them up." Gangplank mused as the bunker doors opened a crack. The batarians had been notified of the Mecha's demise, and were now swarming out to retake the field. "Maybe it's best we finish what he started."

" _Death's Daughter just needs a target, cap'n."_

The shuttle leaves the ground to rejoin the Kraken, "Well what the hell are you waiting for? Them four-eyes want a show, so give it to them!"

* * *

Four days it took for the Alliance to catch up to the renegade captain's trail, the delay caused by accounting for all the damages done to the worlds in his wake. But for Torfan, it was worse.

"My god…" That was all Hackett could think of saying.

The planet crust had opened up, violently shaken down to the core by something incredibly powerful. The debris field from the moon's destruction was too dense for any ship to go in for a closer look, but the distance they had was good enough. Previous opinions on the Dreadnova were cast aside, and Gangplank's name from then on had been placed on the Alliance's watchlist. A rogue element with a planet-cracking weapon like him was a threat to be taken very seriously.

It could be called a mere speculation by the Council, but after what he'd seen on Elysium and then the aftermath of Torfan?

He wasn't Alliance, and he was no mere Terminus System marauder. This Gangplank was another story…

Another truth, as Hackett surmised, was that if the Dreadnova had weapons of this magnitude then the Alliance was ill-prepared to face him. They'd have to level the playing field somehow, and that would take the help of the Council- if they were even willing to address the matter properly.

They'd send a Spectre or two. That's how far they'd 'help' a second-rate species.

Admiral Hackett missed the days when he was just another Alliance marine. He wouldn't have to deal with these matters or drive himself mad thinking about it, he'd just leave it to his superiors.

If Gangplank were to set his eyes on the Alliance- facts that he hardly had a fleet on hand aside- he had the firepower to cut a swath through their meager forces and reach Earth in week!

And all Hackett can do to stop that just like the way the batarians did on Torfan.

Slow him down…

 **]I[**


End file.
